"The Russians have used anchor mines," he said. A handful of the mines usually tethered and held just below the surface of the water have been found drifting in the Black Sea, possibly set loose by storms, according to Kovalenko. Russia insists Ukraine has in fact planted the mines. "More than 500 anchor-type anti-ship mines have been planted by the Russians in our Exclusive Economic Zone," said Odesa-based military analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko, referring to the area of the sea in which sovereign states are accorded special rights under the U.N. "And it will result in famine and destabilization and mass migration around the world."īut any notion of a protected corridor or naval escorts would require considerable resources, a great deal of political will and, likely, Russian co-operation.ĭuration 7:16 CBC News Network's Aarti Pole speaks with Volodymyr Dubovyk, an international relations professor at Odesa National University.Įven if an agreement is reached, the waters off the coast of Ukraine will need to be made safe. "Truly, failure to open those ports in the Odesa region will be a declaration of war on global food scrutiny," said David Beasley, the executive director of the UN's World Food Program, last month. That has increased calls for some kind of protected corridor through the Black Sea that would allow Ukraine to ship its grain again. "Even everything will work well - rail, road, the river ports - we will be able to export two, maybe three million tons." Negotiating tactics "Small ports on the Danube River, they might be another solution,"said Kostyuk. (Jason Ho/CBC)Įfforts to move grain by rail are hindered by incompatible track gauges between Ukraine and European countries. The Petrodolinske agricultural farm outside of Odesa, Ukraine, keeps 700 head of cattle and has about a thousand hectares of land.
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